Adjustable fastener



Aug. 26, 1930. M. GROSS ADJUSTABLE FASTENER Filed Feb. 27, 1929 I unnu- IN ENTOR. Manes Brass ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 26, 1930 UNITED STATES MONES GROSS, OF POTTSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA ADJUSTABLE FASTENER Application filed February 2 7, 1929. Serial No. 343,160.

The present invention relates to improvements in adjustable fasteners, and more specifically to improvements in means for adjustably connecting the ends of a belt or 5 the like such as employed for supporting trousers and other garments.

The primary object of the invention isvto rovide an adjustable fastener for belts which a will allow for the loop or free end of the belt to be concealed and thus provide a smooth outer surface at each side of the fastener for improving the appearance of the belt.

A further object of the invention is to provide an adjustable belt fastener of such construction as to eliminate the use of loops for receiving the loose end of the belt, and also dispense with the showing of rivets or other fastening elements on the outer surface of the belt.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an adjustable belt fastener which will allow for more economical handling of the belts for sale, in that less belt sizes need be carried in stock owing to the fact that the loose end of the belt when being worn will be disposed in a concealed position inwardly of the belt and therefore may extend for any distance beyond the fastener and need not necessarily be of such length as to properly engage in loops for properly holding the loose end in overlying relation to the belt. 7

Still further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which 35 may be economically constructed from sheet metal stampings, one wherein the length of the belt may be readily and quickly adjusted, and one wherein the terminal of the normally attached end of the belt is reinforced at its point of detachable connection with the buckle proper of the fastener.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which drawing:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section thru the improved fastener shown adj ustably connecting opposite ends of a'belt.

Figure 2 is a front plan view of the fastener on a reduced scale from that shown in Figure 1 and showing portions of the fastener broken away for illustrating the manner in which the fastener is detachably connected with the butt end ofthe belt.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the inner SIdG Of the buckle portion of the fastener.

Flgure 4 is a side elevation of the buckle and showing portionsbroken awayfor 'illuss trating the manner in which the gripper is mounted.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the body portion of the buckle is formed V Figure 6 is a plan, view of the blank form from which the head piece or cap for reinforcing the butt end of the belt may be formed. 1 i

In the drawings, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts thruout the several views, the improved fastener has been shown adapted for use in ad ustably connecting the ends of a flexible belt such as worn about the waist of a person for supporting trousers or the like. The letter A may designate the flexible belt which may be of leather or'any other suitable ma-' terlal having its ends adjustably connected by-the improved fastener B. For the pur- '80 pose of explanation the belt A may be considered as having a butt or head end 5 and a loose or free end 6, while the adjustable fastener B includes a reinforcing head piece or cap 7 and a buckle 8 for detachable connec- 55 tion with the butt end 5 of the belt and adj ustably receiving the free end 6.

Referring first to the specific construction 'of the head piece or cap 7 serving as a reinforcement for the butt end 5 of the belt, the same is preferably formed from a sheet metal stamping clamped over the butt end of the belt in such manner as to be entirely concealedby the buckle 8. The butt end of the belt is provided with a transverse slot 9 which terminates inwardly of the upper and lower edges of the belt, and this slot forms an opening into which the tongue on the buckle 8 projects for detachably coupling the buckle to one end of the belt. The head piece 109 T and which may be formed from any suitable Figure 6 to form inner and outer plate sections 11 and 12 respectively which are clamped over the butt end of the belt. The outer plate section 12 is relatively narrow and overlies only a small portion of the outer surface of the belt beyond the slot 9, and

' the inner'plate'section, rearwardly of the tongue 13, are'triangular shaped extensions lewhich are intended to bite into-the belt along its upper andlower edges intermediate the inner and outer surfaces of thebelt so that the cap 7 is firmly anchored to the butt end of the belt inwardly of the slot 9. As

2, the heador cap '7 is of a height substantially equal to the will be observed in Figure width of the belt.

. Referring now to the specific construction of the buckle 8, the same includes a frame 15 which is preferably formed from single blank sheet of the configuration illustrated in Figure 5. The frame 15 includes a longitudinally arcuated' face plate 16 and a clamp plate 17 bent to extend in overlying relation at the inner side of the face plate 16. The clamp plate 17 has a reduced end portion 18' which is bent substantially at a right angle along the line 19 toward the face plate 16 for providing a tongue 20 having rounded ends and having its free end engaging the rear surface of the face plate inwardly of the forward edge 21. Theclamp plate 17 for portion of its lengthis in contact with the rear surface of the face plate 16 and the tongue 20 by its engagement with the face plate provides a pocket 22 for receiving the buttehd of the belt A when the tongue 20 of the face plate 16 is an extension 23 andwhich ex-? is engaging in the slot 9.

Formed along each side edge tensions are intended to be bent inwardly 1n spaced relation over the rear side of the 1 face plate to provide guide ways 24 having their ends terminating inwardly of the ends of the frame and, which guideways receive the loose end 6 of the belt. The rear end of each elongated extension or flange 23 is ctrled inn a ly to provide elongated loops 25 forming pivotal mountings for a keeper 26.

The keeper 26. for pivotal mounting between the elongated loops 25 embodies an elongated heal piece having trunnions 31 1 at each end for fitting in the elongated opensheet'metal, is bent along the line 10 in' ings formed by the loops 25. Extending from the head piece 30 is a bail-like handle 32 which extends in overlying relation to the "head piece 30 is longitudinally corrugated to providea;gripping face as which bites into the belt material andprevents possible slipping of the belt out of the buckle. Thebail is offset intermediate its ends as clearly shown in Figure 1 and conforms substantially to the shape of the free end portion of the clamp plate 17 with the free end of the bail extending-to a point relatively near the tongue 20. The bail 32 engages the loose end 6 of the belt and tendency of the loose end to bewithdrawn from the buckle will cause the bail to be 'more'firmly pressed against the belt and by reason of the bail extending to a location relatively near the tongue 20 the pressure exerted on the belt by the bail will act to more firmly retain the tongue 20 in the slot 9.

The material from which the frame 15 is formed is preferably of a nature so that the clamp plate 17 willbe yieldable and have sufficient spring tension to normally retain the tongue 20 in engagement with the face plate 16. \Vhile the clamp plate 17 has been shown formed integral with the face plate '16 it is to be understood that if so desired the clamp plate may be formedof suitable spring material and affixed in any suitable manner at one end to the rear side of the face plate 16 as when it is desirable that the face plate be formed of such material as would prevent making of the clamp plate of the same material as that of the face plate. In the example illustrated the face plate 16 has been shown provided with a suitable plating 40. l

In use of the improved fastener the clamp plate 17 may first be sprung for allowing the tongue 20 to be positioned in the slot 9 whereby the buckle is detachably coupled to one end of the belt. The head piece or cap 7 as will readily be apparent so reinforces the butt end of the belt as to prevent likelihood of the tongue 20 severing a portion of the belt beyond the slot 9. swung to an open position by raising the bail 32, the free end 6 of the belt is fed between the keeper head piece 30 and rear surface of the clamp plate 17 for the desireddistance for contracting the belt about the wearers waist, and then upon moving the bai132 toward the belt the gripping face 34 so engages the belt as to prevent movement of the free end of the belt out of the buckle.

By having the tongue 20 engage the face plate inwardly of the forward edge it will be seen that the slot 9 is covered by the face plate. The cap 7 is also concealed by the face plate and by having the inner cap plate section 11 anchored in the upper and lower edges of the belt material the cap is concealed at this point and is firmly anchored to the belt without having exposed rivets or the like.

In Figure 1 it will be seen that this novel arrangement allows for the loose end 6 of the belt to be disposed inwardly of the butt end 5 and thus the length of the loose end 6 may project for any distance beyond the fastener without detracting from the appearance of the belt.

Changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a buckle of the class described a frame including a face plate, a clamp plate connected at one end with one end of the face plate and extending over the rear side of the face plate, said clamp plate at its opposite end having a forwardly bent tongue having its free edge engageable with the inner surface of the face plate and providing a pocket for releasably receiving the butt end uortion of the rearwardly directed nanges formed along the upper and lower edges of the face plate, each flange having its end adjacent the first mentioned end of the face plate provided with loops, and a keeper including a head piece pivotally mounted in the loops and a lever portion extending forwardly between the flanges, said head piece having gripping engagement with the free end of a belt inserted between it and the rear surface of the clamp plate and said lever portion adapted to engage the free end of the belt for normally urging the same into frictional contact with the tongue end of the clamp plate.

2. In a buckle of the class described, a one piece frame including a face plate, a clamp plate bent inwardly from one end of the face plate with a portion of its length in surface contact with the rear surface of the face plate, a tongue bent forwardly from the free end of the clamp plate at the rear side of the face plate, a flange bent inwardly and rearwardly from the upper and lower edges of the face plate and providing confronting guide ways for receiving the free end of a belt, said flanges each having a loop formed at its rear end, and a keeper including a headpiece pivotally mounted at each end in the loops and alever extending between the flanges with its free end terminating at a location.

adj acent the free end of the clamp plate, said keeper when swung to an open position allowing for the free end of the belt to be inserted beneath the keeper head portion and extended over the inner surface of the clamp plate to project inwardly of the butt end of the belt with which the tongue of the clamp plate has detachable connection.

3. In an adjustable fastener for belts, a buckle comprising a one-piece frame including a face plate, a yieldable clamp plate bent inwardly over the rear side of the face plate from one end thereof, and flanges formed along the upper and lower edges of the face plate, said clamp plate having a tongue at its forward end in engagement with the rear side of the face plate adjacent the opposite end thereof for detachably coupling the buckle to the butt end of the belt, and a keeper pivotally mounted in the flanges at the first mentioned end thereof for gripping engagement with the free end of the belt for releaswith the inner surface of the clamp plate.

4. In a buckle of the class described, a one-- piece frame including a face plate, a clamp plate bent inwardly from one end of the face plate with a portion of its length in surface contact with the rear surface of the face plate, a tongue bent forwardly from the free end of the clamp plate into engagement with the rear surface of the face plate, and rearwardly bent flanges along the upper and lower edges of the face plate and having their forward ends terminating rearwardly of said tongue, and a keeper mounted between the rear ends of the flanges for gripping engagement with the free end of the belt.

5. In a belt buckle, an elongated face plate,

guide forming flanges provided along the upper and lower longitudinal edges of the face plate, a yieldable arcuate clamp plate carried by and arranged at the rear side of the face plate between the guide flanges and extending through the major portion of the length of the face plate, for detachable connection at its one end with the butt end of the belt, and a keeper pivotally mounted be tween the guide flanges adjacent the other end of the clamp plate for frictionally clamping the free end of the belt in surface contact with the inner surface of the arcuate clamp plate.

MONES GROSS. 

